Decommitment heightens OL importance

If there was a positive to draw from ESPN 150 offensive tackle Casey Tucker's decommitment from USC this week, it’s that it happened in April rather than, say, nine months from now.

Offensive line recruiting is undoubtedly a major focus in the 2014 recruiting class for the Trojans and new position coach Mike Summers. And while losing the top-rated lineman on the West Coast is never a good thing, there is a silver lining here: Summers and assistant James Cregg know where they stand.

Tucker, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound lineman from Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton, was committed for nine months. He visited the USC campus with his father, taking in a game at the Coliseum before returning home with what he called an "even stronger" commitment. He saw the Trojans limp their way through a rough 2012 season, yet stuck with his original pledge.